It’s a telling pick for Facebook, as the company sees increasing pressure out of Europe around user privacy.
Facebook has hired former British deputy prime minister Nick Clegg as VP of global affairs and communications, a company spokesperson confirmed to CNBC.
Clegg replaces Elliot Schrage, who announced his departure as head of communications and global policy in June after about 10 years at the company. Clegg will report to Facebook’s COO Sheryl Sandberg. Clegg starts his job on Monday. He will work from London for the first few months and move with his family to California early next year.
Facebook said Schrage will remain at Facebook as an advisor, and that Sandberg and CEO Mark Zuckerberg started meeting with Clegg in the summer. It’s also notable that Facebook tapped someone from outside the company for the job. Facebook has a reputation for promoting a tight circle of executives close to Zuckerberg and Sandberg.
Clegg is a telling pick for Facebook, as the company sees increasing pressure out of Europe around user privacy. The European Union’s stricter guidelines for collecting and storing user data, dubbed GDPR, took effect in May. Facebook could now face its first challenge under the restrictions, after a September security breach affected approximately 3 million Europeans.
As VP of global affairs, Clegg will also be in charge of grappling with Facebook’s growing number of PR crises around privacy, election meddling and security. His hiring at Facebook would fill one of several notable vacancies among the company’s top ranks.
Nick Clegg is the former leader of the centrist Liberal Democrats party in the U. K. He shot onto the scene in 2010 when his party joined the Conservatives in a coalition, which became famous for ushering in austerity after the financial crash of 2008. Clegg also allowed student fees to rise on his watch, which increased the cost of college tuition, after promising not to on his campaign trail. This damaged his political career and hurt the Liberal Democrats at the next election. He is also a known Europhile who was against Brexit and speaks multiple languages.
David Reid and Matt Clinch contributed to this report.
